


i'm friends with the monster

by ACatWhoWrites



Series: A Prompt a Day in the Month of May [26]
Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Microfic, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 05:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14763359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACatWhoWrites/pseuds/ACatWhoWrites
Summary: "Monsters out here are just wildcats," he said...





	i'm friends with the monster

When Yixing hears frantic bellows and calls of the herd out near the river, he runs off thinking he's going to haul a calf out of the muddy river bottom. He's done it before; the cattle never seem to learn. They insist on breaking his meticulously and repeatedly mended fences.

But his bitterness can wait.

He counts heads as he jogs down the hill towards the water. It seems like everyone is there, safely on land, but they're still urgently calling and snorting and standing in a sort of semi-circle, facing the water.

It could be a snake.

As long as it's not a bird, Yixing can handle it. Beaked things are creepy.

He finds a branch and calmly but firmly pushes his way between the cows. They turns their heavy towards him, breathing tired sighs. _Finally_.

“I know. I'm here.” He pats a heifer's back. “What's going on?”

At the front of the herd, Yixing meets the guarded gaze of a soaking wet young man holding his side. Between the river and the stamping cows, he has no where to go.

“You attacked a _man_?” He drops to his knees, hand extended and large stick behind him. “Are you alright?”

“I've been better.” He's around Yixing's age but a stranger. Yixing knows all of his neighbors and knows of his neighbors' neighbors; this man doesn't look like anyone he's heard about. Even wearing a mask of evident pain, his lips are curled like a cat's.

There's blood when he moves his hand, and Yixing feels sick.

“I'm so sorry. It was one of the cows, wasn't it? They're usually so tame; I don't understand it...” 

“Maybe they think I'm some kind of monster.”

They moo when Yixing looks at them, still keeping their distance. “I doubt it. Monsters out here are just foxes and wildcats.” What about this man could seem so threatening? “Maybe because you're a stranger. I'm Zhang Yixing.” He takes the man's arm and gestures, _Just go with it._

“...Jongdae. Kim Jongdae.” He lets himself be lifted to his feet and comments on the strength of a farmhand. Yixing laughs.

“I've lifted much heavier things than you.”

It's slow going back to the house. Jongdae leans heavily on Yixing, stumbling every few steps. Without his presence, the herd is silent.

“You need a hospital; my family's out with the truck, so I'll need to go to a neighbor's.” Yixing carefully turns beneath Jongdae's arm and sets him on a chair in the kitchen.

“I'll be fine. I just need to eat something.”

“This looks like a bit more than hunger pangs,” Yixing remarks. “I'm no doctor, but there's blood.” He grabs a towel and holds it to Jongdae's side, pressing the man's hand over it. “Hold that, and I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?”

He fumbles at the door, debating if he should actually just carry Jongdae to his neighbor's or not. It's not a super long hike; it'd just be slower going. A hand lands on his shoulder; it's scaly and taloned.

“Thank you, Yixing. You're really sweet.”

On their way back to their farm, the Zhangs see their herd strewn about the riverbank, slaughtered. Only pieces of Yixing are left behind in the house, bloody footprints intermingled with paw prints like a cat's.

**Author's Note:**

> In Chinese mythology, the shen/chen, is a shapeshifting dragon or sea monster believed to create mirages. There are variations, but it literally means something like "large clam," but it depends on translation, time period, and person working on it. It's evolved over the many many years.
> 
> I decided to try a prompt a day in May, not following any list. This came from **mythology**.


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